The big wonder is how Andrea Bargnani has been able to do so much so far in this NBA season while running around the court with that lightbulb finally shining over his head.

Yes, after six seasons of little more than maddening inconsistency — flashes of excellence followed long stretches of infuriating lethargy — Bargnani seems to finally get it.

He is engaged at both ends of the floor, he rebounds in traffic, he is animated and excellent and one of the premier scorers in the entire league.

"Andrea for me, and I've been telling all my coaching friends around the league, is playing like an all-star on both ends of the floor," is the oft-stated belief of Raptors coach Dwane Casey and when Casey says that, eyebrows aren't necessarily raised in disbelief.